Barcelona blew away a depressing Valencia 7-1 on Sunday to get again on observe in La Liga with a ruthless victory.
Fermin Lopez struck twice for the Catalans within the first half, together with objectives from Frenkie de Jong, Ferran Torres and Raphinha which gave Barcelona a commanding five-goal lead on the break.
Hugo Duro pulled one again early within the second half earlier than Robert Lewandowski pounced for Barca, adopted by a Cesar Tarrega personal objective, with the third-placed hosts incomes simply their second win of their final 9 league matches.
Hansi Flick’s facet path La Liga leaders Actual Madrid by seven factors and second-placed Atletico Madrid by three.
“I feel in La Liga we had been in a nasty dynamic and we wanted this win, it is crucial and now we now have to maintain combating,” Lopez informed DAZN.
“The coach says everybody within the workforce is necessary, and whoever is taking part in we now have to be as much as it — that is what being a workforce is and that is how we are able to compete for the title.
“There’s nonetheless a protracted option to go and we are going to battle till the tip.”
Flick shuffled his pack in opposition to Valencia in an effort to spark a response given the membership’s poor home type.
The coach started with Lewandowski and Ronald Araujo on the bench, whereas Pedri was absent due to a abdomen bug, resulting in De Jong, Ferran Torres and the excellent Lopez all beginning.
It took simply three minutes for De Jong to open the scoring, with teenage star Lamine Yamal crossing for him within the space just about unmarked, and he fired dwelling.
Barcelona quickly had their second, with Torres tucking dwelling from Alejandro Balde’s cross, in comparable style to the primary objective however from the alternative flank.
The hosts moved three objectives forward within the 14th minute when Lopez clipped a high quality ball excessive for Raphinha to run onto.
The Brazilian winger rounded Giorgi Mamardashvili and rolled dwelling for his twelfth league objective of the season.
Valencia, with out the suspended Cristhian Mosquera, had been struggling badly in defence and Barcelona broke in seemingly at will.
Lopez collected a superbly measured Pau Cubarsi lengthy cross for the fourth and though it was initially dominated offside, the choice was corrected by VAR.
Valencia thought they’d gained a penalty when Wojciech Szczesny introduced down Hugo Duro however play was finally introduced again for a foul on Jules Kounde after one other video assessment.
Lopez rattled dwelling the fifth on the volley earlier than half-time when Raphinha’s effort hit the submit and fell properly for him with the goalkeeper stranded.
– ‘Indignant and unhappy’ –
Hugo Duro pulled one again for Valencia earlier than the hour mark from Diego Lopez’s low cross and Flick responded by sending on La Liga’s high goalscorer Lewandowski.
The Polish ahead completed clinically for his seventeenth league objective of the season after being despatched by by Lopez for Barca’s sixth on the night time.
Barcelona netted their seventh when Torres’ hammered cross was deflected into his personal web by Tarrega.
“For me it was the proper match,” Flick informed reporters.
“(Fermin) at present confirmed how good he was… he attacked all the pieces and defended very properly, with the ball he was unbelievable.”
Seven objectives didn’t flatter Barcelona by any means and the beating is a setback for Carlos Corberan’s Valencia, nineteenth and 4 factors from security.
“I really feel indignant and unhappy for all of the individuals who got here to see us, all of the followers watching at dwelling, we now have to ask for forgiveness as a result of we weren’t as much as the extent of the sport or the shirt that we symbolize,” mentioned Valencia defender Jose Gaya.
“It was an unlimited step backwards, we now have to express regret… we now have to really feel damage after this, we won’t neglect it, we now have to focus that vitality and rage into the subsequent recreation.”
Earlier Athletic Bilbao, fourth, may solely produce a 0-0 draw at dwelling in opposition to Leganes, and now path Barcelona by two factors.
Relegation-battling Getafe earned a powerful 3-0 win at Actual Sociedad to climb to 14th, whereas Rayo Vallecano got here from behind to beat Girona 2-1.
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